[Watcher]

Happy New Year UrsaMajor.

Well the escrow check was finally disbursed after 18 months. I wasn't sure who exactly held the escrow money because there were 5 different law firms involved. (2 divorce and 3 real estate) I thought my divorce attorney held it but apparently it was one of the real estate attorneys.

So now I await The Ides of March.

I finished 2023 with just over 1,900 miles on 245 runs. Apparently my ankle has been acting up like it's 51 all of a sudden. I bested my previous high of 1,400 miles from 2022 while I added 157 kickboxing classes to the mix.

I still have to pick a Spring Marathon and was interested in Virginia Beach however I don't believe I will be ready for it on St Patrick's Day weekend so I think I will hold off until May and find another one to give myself more time to prepare.

[FaithWalker]

Wow, that is a ton of mileage!  WTG.  I hope your ankle starts to feel better asap!

I'm glad the escrow check was disbursed.

[Watcher]

Hi FaithWalker.

I noticed tonight we have gained 45 minutes of daylight in the Northeast as we march towards Spring. Now it gets dark at 5:15pm. It is bitter cold at the moment.

January and February are the worse months to run. Yesterday was an ice run in the rain. I ran only 83 miles in November when my ankle flared up followed by 97 in December. I'm on pace for 125 in January so I think it's improving.

I picked a late marathon in May at Buffalo to give myself extra time to prepare for it. I have my 5th attempt at Tokyo 2025 coming up in a couple of weeks.

Montreal is in September and New York City, November, however I haven't made any plans yet for the 3 scheduled marathons.

[UrsaMajor]

We had an ice storm yesterday here too. Where I am got a little but the areas around got about 1/2" of ice...... Today, I decided to take public transport instead of my bicycle to work. It snowed last night but there are icy patches underneath the snow.....

[MadLuv]

I continue to be impressed with your running.  Fast walking is the best I can do.  Also, biking to work. Impressive!!

[FaithWalker]

Yeah running in icy months, yikes.  I did download the Couch 2 5k app again, but then I forgot I've been dealing with planter fasciitis and I'm afraid it might flare up again.  Guess I'll start with walking and see how it goes.

[Watcher]

Hi UrsaMajor, Madluv, FaithWalker.

January has been defeated and now only February remains, lol. I finished January with 125 miles on 22 outdoor runs and added 16 gym classes. My ankle seems to have responded well with the increased workload.

There hasn't been much snow yet. It's mostly been rain and ice with gray clouds and no sun. I will target 150 miles for February as I continue to increase the mileage each month leading to the Buffalo Marathon in late May.

I should have roughly 800 miles for that race. I also completed my 5th qualifier for the 2025 Tokyo Marathon and will now await those results.

[FaithWalker]

Wow that's a lot of miles for a non-runner like myself.  Still having some on again off again issues with my plantar fasciitis, no bueno.

[Watcher]

Hi FaithWalker,

Our daylight hours are now up to 7:15pm with the help of moving the clocks to spring forward. I finished February with 150 miles run and now March will be extended to 175 miles. So far I have run 330 miles in 2024.

I am 125 miles behind last year's pace as the ankle slowed me down in January to start the year.

Yesterday I ran my first race of the year on rolling country hills. This was my 43rd half marathon and I finished under two hours so I was happy with the results.

I won 9 of the 13 miles based on my own personal goals. Someone was talking to me midway during the race so I lost that mile due to being forced to be social and I slowed down considerably over the final 3 miles as the hills took their toll on my lower back.

It was cold and windy. I wore shorts but I'm still bundled up for winter otherwise and I look forward to shedding the weighted clothing soon when the temperatures finally rise.

I can run in shorts with no problem as it allows the heat to escape but I have to wear a winter hat, gloves and hoodie still at this point because that's where I'm coldest.

I finally completed 40+ miles for the first time last week and now have 10 more weeks at 40+ miles per week until the Buffalo Marathon.

I really haven't run competitively since October because my ankle started bothering me in November so yesterday was a good test just to see if I could still run, lol. Oh runners believe they can actually forget how to run. True story. So I passed that mental hurdle.

[FaithWalker]

I bet the weather is much nicer now Watcher!  Your running amazes me.